Mayor of Mt Wellington R.M. McCulloch dedicated the proposed Mt Wellington War Memorial Sports Ground on the banks of the Tamaki River during a service held to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Another ceremony was held to formally open the sports ground on 13 March 1954. By this time, the 15-hectare reserve included three rugby fields, two league grounds, two football pitches, changing rooms, and a 21 x 45 feet memorial hall. Future plans included bowling greens, croquet lawns and a second sports pavilion. Today the sports ground is generally referred to as either the Mt Wellington War Memorial Park or the Mt Wellington War Memorial Reserve. The memorial hall is now known as the Dunkirk Road Activity Centre.
Sources: ‘Sports Grounds Opened as War Memorial’, NZ Herald, 17/3/ 1954; R.A. Baker, From Bush to Borough, Mt Wellington, 1987, p. 113.
Bruce Ringer, Auckland Libraries, 2014